Hurt

"Hurt" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album, Back to Basics (2006). It was serviced to US contemporary hit radio stations on September 17, 2006, as the album's second single, and was released for purchase in November. Written by Aguilera, Linda Perry, and Mark Ronson, and produced by Perry, the song is a pop ballad with lyrics describing how the protagonist deals with the loss of a loved one and was inspired by the death of Perry's father. "Hurt" received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics, who praised Aguilera's vocals but were ambivalent towards the production. The song peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). According to Nielsen SoundScan, the single has sold over 1.1 million copies in the United States. It was a top-ten hit in Europe and Oceania, entering the top ten of record charts in countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, and Sweden. A music video for the song was directed by Floria Sigismondi who had previously worked with Aguilera on the video for "Fighter". The video was also co-directed by Aguilera. It depicts Aguilera as a 1940s circus star who suffers from her father's death. It won two MVPA Awards for Best Video and Best Direction of a Female Artist in 2007, and was nominated for a Juno Award for Video of the Year. Aguilera has performed the song live on a number of occasions, including at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and on Saturday Night Live. The track was included on the setlist of Aguilera's Back to Basics Tour in 2006 and 2007. Background and release Aguilera's fifth studio album, Back to Basics, which consists of two discs, was released in August 2006. The second disc, described by Aguilera herself as "a '20s, '30s vibe," was solely produced by her longtime collaborater–producer Linda Perry. During the recording session, Aguilera wanted to record a song about the pain of losing a loved one and asked Perry for help. Perry developed the idea while thinking about her father, who had died less than a year earlier. She revealed, "And she [Aguilera] came to me, and had these two chords that her and this guy wrote, and she was like 'I really like these chords, can you turn this into a song? I want the song to be about losing someone'. And inside of me, I'm going 'You little fucking bitch, you totally know I lost my dad, and now you're gonna milk my emotions.'"